Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis will address the Greek Parliament about the impact of the crisis in Ukraine, at 11:00 on Tuesday morning.
Full solidarity with the president and with the Ukrainian people
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Monday expressed his full solidarity with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and with the people of Ukraine in a post on Twitter:
“Full solidarity with President Zelenskyy and the people of Ukraine. We welcome Ukraine’s EU choice; they are one of us,” posted Mitsotakis.
Greece sends two more plane loads of military equipment to Ukraine
Two more Greek Airforce C-130 transport planes departed from Greece for Poland on Monday, carrying additional military equipment for Ukraine.
The flights brings to four the total number of C-130 transports from Greece for Ukraine to date.
The military aid was decided at a meeting at the weekend between Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Defense Minister Nikos Panagiotopoulos and Chief of the National Defense General Staff Gen. Konstantinos Floros.
On Sunday, officials said the material included “Kalashnikov-type assault rifles” and missile launchers.
Culture ministry suspends all events related to Russian cultural organizations
Minister of Culture & Sports Lina Mendoni ordered the suspension of any current or upcoming activities and events held in Greece in collaboration with Russian cultural organizations, the ministry said on Monday.
This directive includes any planning or discussion of relevant events, it was noted.
Greek Defense Min. to EU counterparts: Developments in Ukraine give rise to need for a meaningful European strategic autonomy
Russia’s attack on Ukraine gives rise to an urgent need for the global community to assume its responsibilities, Greek National Defense Minister Nikos Panagiotopoulos said at an extraordinary meeting of EU defense ministers held online on Monday.
This happens, he explained, “because the crisis in Ukraine tests the limits of International Law, the validity of – and the respect for treaties, but also challenges the very right of states to live freely.”
Developments in Ukraine also give rise to a need for a meaningful European strategic autonomy, he said.
After outlining all the actions Greece has taken to support Ukraine so far during this military conflict, including sending defense equipment and calling for the stopping of all Russian army operations in the country, Panagiotopoulos referred to the upcoming approval of the EU’s Strategic Compass initiative in early March.
“In a few days,” he noted, “it will be approved, which marks a high level of ambition for our security and defense agenda.” The Greek minister added that “it will be called upon to prove its value in practice.”
“It is a matter of supporting the defense and security of our citizens, our states and our Union,” he stressed, which “requires determination and collective action. But if we are to create the right framework to forge our defenses, and to actively respond to threats against our own countries’ defense and security, then it is worth it,” he pointed out.